History Channel Primetime Listings

Friday, December 1, 2006
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7-7:30pm -- Our Generation - Death of the
Counterculture: Charles Manson
The savagery of the murders that Charles Manson and
his followers committed in Los Angeles and Hollywood
became a focal point for America's mistrust of the
counterculture of the 1960's. The brutality of Manson
and his followers would forever alter public opinion
against the counterculture. Our resident historian
Steve Gillon tells the stories of the unforgettable
events that defined the Baby Boomer generation and
changed the world.
7:30-8pm -- Mail Call - SS Lane Victory: #70.
R. Lee Ermey is underway in San Pedro, California
onboard the SS Lane Victory--the only fully
operational WWII-era victory ship in the world. Lee
highlights the role of the Merchant Marine and Navy
Armed Guard in WWII and how they formed the vital link
between "Rosie the Riveter" and "GI Joe"--shipping
millions of tons of materiel and supplies across the
Atlantic and Pacific. To demonstrate the ship's role,
Lee and his jeep are sealifted by a WWII-era crane
from shore onto the ship. From the anti-aircraft gun
mount on the SS Lane Victory, the Gunny introduces a
story about SWORDS, the military's new fully-armed
robot warrior that is being deployed on the
battlefield right now. And Lee takes a look back to
the Navajo Code Talkers--Native Americans who
developed an unbreakable secret code to keep radio
communications safe during WWII.
8-9pm -- The Lost Evidence - 16 - Operation Market
Garden
September 17th 1944. 20,000 elite troops descend from
the skies into Nazi occupied Holland in a massive
airborne assault. In this dramatic race against time,
an armored relief force has to fight through sixty
miles of enemy defenses and reach the British
paratroopers at Arnhem bridge before their 48 hour
deadline runs out. The British paratroopers, known as
"Red Devils", have orders to hold their positions.
This fight would become legendary as they refused to
surrender after being surrounded by the German Army.
For the first time Aerial reconnaissance photographs
taken at the time have now been layered over a 3
dimensional map to create a CGI "model" of the battle
allowing the viewer to track the fighting, step by
step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and
heroism can be placed in the exact location where they
took place.
9-10pm -- Shootout - Raid on Bataan Death Camp
With the American fleet still smoldering in Pearl Harbor,
the Japanese attack the Philippines. Thousands
of American GIs and their Filipino allies are
surrounded on the Bataan Peninsula. The American-led
force finally surrenders, only to be subjected to the
horrors of the Bataan Death March. Three years later
the American military return to the shores of the
Philippines on a secret mission to liberate 500 Allied
prisoners still languishing behind the barbed wire of
the Cabanatua death camp. Captain Bob Prince and Lt.
Robert Andersen were there, and they take us
shot-by-shot through one of the most daring lightning
raids in history.
10-11pm -- Dogfights - 09 - Hell Over Hanoi
You're in the cockpit with some of the fiercest dog
fighting ever seen in Vietnam! These pilots fight in a
supersonic world, and split second decisions determine
life or death. American F4 Phantom pilots Fred Olmsted
and Dan Cherry take on the famed MiG-21--the most
feared threat in the sky. Steve Ritchie, becomes a dog
fighting legend as an Air Force Ace. First-hand
accounts, rare archival footage and original shooting
will supplement the remarkable computer graphics.
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Saturday, December 2, 2006
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Harvesting 2.
In America's orchards and farm fields, the constant
struggle between hand labor and mechanization has
produced dozens of efficient and sometimes bizarre
harvesting methods. We'll learn the secrets of the
orchard manager and his ladder crew as they check
fruit pressures and barometric readings. We'll visit
California's largest fruit packing house and try to
keep up with 10-fruit-per-second conveyors. Then we're
off to the corn fields of Nebraska and the cranberry
marshes of central Wisconsin. Finally, we'll go
underground to the world's largest mushroom farm where
the harvest takes place in limestone caverns that run
some 150 miles. From fruit tree picking platforms to
cranberry beaters and corn pickers, we constantly
strive to speed the harvest.
8-9pm -- Save Our History - Godspeed to Jamestown
In 1607, the sailing ship Godspeed played an important
role in American history; she was one of three ships
that carried settlers to the Jamestown colony. We
follow the construction of a full size replica of the
three-masted ship commissioned by the
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Host Steve Thomas
guides viewers through the 18-month process, from the
laying of the keel to her first days at sea, exploring
the combination of old world craftsmanship and modern
technology used to put the ship together. When
Godspeed is ready to take her first sail into the cold
waters of Penobscot Bay, we get to see the ship in all
its glory, learn about conditions on the original
voyage, and ponder the courage of those who set sail
400 years ago.
9-11pm -- Race to the South Pole - Part 1.
It's been called "the worst journey in the world," the
race to the South Pole between British Royal Navy
Captain Robert F. Scott and Norwegian explorer Roald
Amundsen. It began in 1911 and ended in 1912, with
tragedy for one man and victory for another. Today,
two teams, selected from among the world's greatest
adventurers, will recreate the race. Using only the
skis, sledges, and navigation devices available to the
original expeditions, wearing the same clothing, and
eating the same food, the modern teams will test
history. The teams arrive in Greenland where they will
have just two weeks to familiarize themselves with
their 1911 equipment and train their sled dogs. Both
teams will leave at the same time and follow parallel
courses with 99 days to reach their goal and return.
With the playing field leveled, the two teams will
answer questions that have intrigued historians for
decades. Was it leadership, or simple luck, that made
the difference? Part 1 of 2.
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Sunday, December 3, 2006
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7-8pm -- Beyond Top Secret -
There is "Top Secret" and then there is "Beyond Top
Secret" -- ultra clandestine classifications with
names like "Polo Step" and "Gray Fox." This special
will take viewers on a fascinating journey inside the
U.S. Government's most secret operations, all of which
occurred in the last 20 years, and including the
secret operations that went into the first days of the
invasion of Iraq. We'll look at intelligence programs,
anti-terrorist strike forces, black ops,
eaves-dropping technology and advanced weapons
systems.
8-10pm -- Inside the Volcano -
For four billion years, volcanoes have impacted life
on earth. Empires have been destroyed, civilizations
decimated. We'll travel to volcanic spots around the
world made infamous in history--from the volcanic
islands of Greece to the towering mountains of Italy;
from the long ridges of Iceland to the eruptive
volcanoes of Indonesia; and of course here in the
United States, from the mountainous Cascades range in
the Pacific Northwest to the hotspots over Hawaii.
This is a breathtaking journey across time and across
continents. Using cutting-edge computer graphics, we
journey into the magma chambers of the volcano,
sinking deep underneath the earth's crusts--a
perspective rarely accorded to viewers.
10-12am -- American Vesuvius -
On August 25th, 79 AD, two of the Roman Empire's most
promising cities, Pompeii and Herculaneum, were
flash-frozen in time as Mount Vesuvius erupted
destroying all life in its path. Noted paleontologist,
archaeologist, and forensic physicist Charles
Pellegrino is the author of Ghosts of Vesuvius, a
fascinating look at this ancient volcanic eruption.
Pellegrino uses the emerging science of forensic
archaeology to decipher clues and gather evidence that
helps him reconstruct the final moments of the
victims. Using the same forensic techniques, he
undertakes an investigation of the ruins of the World Trade Center.
By processing evidence and interviewing
witnesses, he illustrates dramatic physical parallels
between Vesuvius's eruption and the collapse of the
Twin Towers. His scientific exploration results in an
array of startling connections between the destruction
of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the man-made
devastation at Ground Zero of our own Vesuvius.
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Monday, December 4, 2006
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Dangerous Cargo.
Toxic traffic is everywhere! An average of 800,000
shipments of hazardous materials hit our highways and
railways daily. From Wild West wooden crates filled
with explosives to HAZMAT containers of nuclear waste,
we shadow dangerous cargo. We ride shotgun on a
hazardous material shipment that's tracked by
satellites; hunt down the hush-hush "ghost
fleet"--trucks carrying classified government
materials; and board a Con-Air flight moving another
kind of nasty stuff--dangerous felons!
8-9pm -- UFO Files - Alien Encounters
Beginning in the 1960s, thousands of UFO landings,
flyovers and collisions have left scientific evidence
behind for study. These events have become known in
the field of UFOlogy as the "trace cases." There are
over 3,000 documented UFO physical trace cases and
they have occurred in over 90 countries around the
world. From impressions in the dirt, burned or broken
vegetation and trees to scientific abnormalities that
have yet to be explained, "trace cases" offer up some
of the most convincing evidence of the UFO reality.
Join us as we reveal what could possibly be evidence
of "alien encounters."
9-10pm -- Engineering an Empire - The Persians
The Persian Empire was one of the most mysterious
civilizations in the ancient world. Persia became an
empire under the Cyrus the Great, who created a policy
of religious and cultural tolerance that became the
hallmark of Persian rule. Engineering feats include an
innovative system of water management; a
cross-continent paved roadway stretching 1500 miles; a
canal linking the Nile to the Red Sea; and the
creation of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the
Mausoleum of Maussollos. The rivalry between Persia
and Athens led to a 30-year war known as the Persian
Wars, the outcome of which helped create the world we
live in today. Peter Weller hosts.
10-11pm -- Lost Worlds - Palenque.
Today we venture to Palenque, a great Mayan city deep
in the Mexican jungle, abandoned for over a thousand
years. Mysterious tombs, palaces, and temples covered
by creepers have remained hidden from the world for
centuries. But how was this gigantic metropolis built
and what purpose did the temples and palaces serve? As
the clues are gathered, we reveal the Mayan obsession
with astronomy, sacrifice and shamanism and how this
influenced the building of their structures and
discover how their unique stone carvings documented
their civilization more thoroughly than any other
Mesoamerican culture. We also explore the secret tombs
of their kings that have remained hidden for more than
1,500 years. As we rebuild the city, wall by wall,
building by building, the result is an historically
accurate and stunningly beautiful vision of an ancient
city.
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Tuesday, December 5, 2006
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Copper.
It transports electricity, water, and heat. Our bodies
can't survive without it, yet it can kill microbes in
minutes. It brings music to our ears and beauty to our
eyes. We'll delve into all of copper's impressive
traits, history, and how it's mined. This versatile
red metal's most famous attribute is its ability to
conduct electricity--copper wires connect and energize
the world. And it's revolutionizing the electronics
industry by enabling ever-shrinking computer chips.
It's also formed into plumbing pipes to convey water
and is the metal of choice for beautiful roofs and
sculptures. It doesn't only look good--it sounds great
too. A visit to a bell foundry reveals why bronze, a
copper alloy, has been used to make music for hundreds
of years. In myriad shapes and for innumerable uses,
copper figures prominently in our world.
8-10pm -- Violent Earth - Little Ice Age: Big Chill.
Not so long ago, civilization learned that it was no
match for just a few degrees drop in temperature.
Scientists call it the Little Ice Age--but its impact
was anything but small. From 1300 to 1850, a period of
cataclysmic cold caused havoc. It froze Viking
colonists in Greenland, accelerated the Black Death in
Europe, decimated the Spanish Armada, and helped
trigger the French Revolution. The Little Ice Age
reshaped the world in ways that now seem the stuff of
fantasy--New York Harbor froze and people walked from
Manhattan to Staten Island, Eskimos sailed kayaks as
far south as Scotland, and two feet of snow fell on
New England in June and July during "the Year Without
a Summer". Could another catastrophic cold snap strike
in the 21st century? Leading climatologists offer the
latest theories, and scholars and historians recreate
the history that could be a glimpse of things to come.
Face the cold, hard truth of the past--an era that may
be a window to our future.
10-11pm -- Man, Moment, Machine - Da Vinci & the
Handgun.
February 18, 1563: Orleans, France. An assassin lies
in wait for his victim. In the killer's hand is a
deadly new weapon, a machine that can destroy lives in
a flash. He hopes to strike a blow for religious
freedom. His weapon is an invention from the master of
art and engineering, Leonardo da Vinci. It is a device
so fearsome that European rulers move to ban it. In
the hands of this assassin it will eliminate the Duke
of Guise and raise the stakes in France's long and
blood civil war.
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Wednesday, December 6, 2006
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Bulletproof.
How do you stop a speeding bullet? From body armor to
armored cars and trucks, we review the history of the
race between the bullet and a successful way to stop
it. It's not exactly easy to design material that can
catch gunfire traveling up to 3,000 feet per second.
We'll look at little-known advances like bulletproof
layering hidden in walls, futuristic smart materials
that "remember" how to stop a bullet, and a system
that deploys a shield within milliseconds when it
detects an oncoming round.
8-9pm -- Modern Marvels - Magnets.
We played with them as children, but the world of
magnets isn't kid's stuff! The pervasive magnet serves
as the underpinning for much of modern technology.
They can be found in computers, cars, phones, VCRs,
TVs, vacuum cleaners, the washer and dryer, the
ubiquitous refrigerator magnet, and even in an
electric guitar! On the cutting edge of technology,
scientists experiment with a variety of magnets.
Magnets' amazing forces of attraction and repulsion
may some day take us to the far reaches of outer
space.
9-10pm -- Modern Marvels - Heavy Metals.
They are elements that occupy a select portion of the
periodic table and are so essential to America's
economic and military might that they are stored in
the National Defense Stockpile in case of all-out war.
We plan a riveting visit. Some of the vital heavy
metals that we survey include copper, uranium, lead,
zinc, and nickel. We also take a look at
superalloys--consisting of steel combined with
chromium, cobalt, and dozens of other heavy
metals--that resist corrosion and perform increasingly
elaborate functions. From Earth to space, from
cosmetics to vitamins, in a million different ways,
heavy metals are here to stay!
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Engineering Disasters 20
In March of 2005, the BP Refinery in Texas City, Texas,
suffered a series of explosions that decimated
a large portion of the facility and killed 15 workers.
Discover how a series of mechanical malfunctions and a
disregard for safety led to one of the worst
industrial accidents in the United States. Then we'll
document the unusual series of events that caused
American Airlines flight 587 to fall from the sky.
What happened in Times Beach, Missouri, when a local
waste hauler oiled down dusty roads with oil that was
laced with dioxin? Next we'll look at what went wrong
with NASA's Skylab in 1974 and finally we'll examine
the fire that destroyed the gas company, Praxair, in
June of 2005. Interviews with survivors help complete
the picture.
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Thursday, December 7, 2006
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Stealth and Beyond: Air
Stealth.
They are the swarthy eagles of the sky, the sleek
sharks of the sea, the invisible warriors of the
battlefield. Join us for a 3-part look at the stealth
aircraft, ships, and soldiers of today, yesterday, and
tomorrow. This hour highlights past, present, and
future advances in stealth military aircraft. Features
footage of the F-117 Nighthawk, B-2 Spirit Bomber, and
the Air Force's newest fighters, the F/A-22 Raptor and
the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and talks to test
pilots and flight engineers.
8-9pm -- Engineering an Empire - Russia.
At the height of its power the Russian Empire
stretched across 15 times zones, incorporated nearly
160 different ethnicities, and made up one sixth of
the entire world's landmass. What started as a few
small principalities was shaped into an indomitable
world power by the sheer force of its leaders.
However, building the infrastructure of this empire
came at an enormous price. As Russia entered the 20th
century, her expansion reached critical mass as her
rulers pushed progress at an unsustainable pace and
her population reacted in a revolution that changed
history. From the Moscow Kremlin, to the building of
St. Petersburg, we will examine the architecture and
infrastructure that enabled the rise and fall of the
Russian Empire.
9-11pm -- Decoding The Past - Seven Wonders of the
World.
The Great Pyramid of Giza, Mausoleum of Halicarnassus,
Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Colossus of Rhodes, Temple
of Artemis, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Pharos
of Alexandria. Of the Seven Wonders, only the Great
Pyramid remains. Why did ancient scholars select these
sites? What can the crumbled remains say about those
who built them?
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Friday, December 8, 2006
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7-7:30pm -- Our Generation - Duck & Cover: The Cold
War
The Boomer Generation was the first to live with the
real threat of mutually assured destruction. From the
beginning of the cold war and Sputnik to the
hair-raising reality of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the
potential of nuclear proliferation became a way of
life. Growing up with the knowledge that, at a touch
of a button, millions of people could be killed was
one of the most formative experiences for young
Boomers. Our resident historian Steve Gillon tells the
stories of the unforgettable events that defined the
Baby Boomer generation and changed the world.
7:30-8pm -- Mail Call.
At ease, Private! R. Lee Ermey is your commanding
officer in this weekly series that answers viewers'
questions about military methods and technology with
practical demonstrations by military experts. Viewers
go on the frontlines, to foreign lands, and into basic
training as Lee demonstrates the hows and whys behind
weaponry, military hardware, vehicles, and jargon.
It's a glimpse of military life and history that
civilians rarely see.
8-9pm -- The Lost Evidence - 13 - Monte Cassino
In the winter of 1943, an allied army of nearly
300,000 men invades Italy. Mussolini has surrendered,
but Hitler and his feared paratroop regiments refuse
to give up. At Monte Cassino, 60 miles south of Rome,
the Allied forces under the command of General Harold
Alexander come face to face with the fanatic defenders
of Hitler's Third Reich. Will the sixth century
monastery of Monte Cassino, now home to the Germans,
become a casualty of war? Over the next six months
more than a hundred thousand allied troops will be
killed and wounded. Aerial reconnaissance photographs
taken at the time have now been layered over a 3-D
contour map to create a CGI "model" of the battles.
For the first time these original high-resolution
images allow the viewer to track the battles from the
air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can be
placed in the exact location where they took place.
9-10pm -- Shootout - Tet Offensive
It's the most desperate shootout of the Vietnam War.
During the early morning hours of January 31, 1968,
North Vietnamese communist troops launch a surprise
attack on dozens of towns and villages across South
Vietnam. They hope the bold offensive will spur a
nation-wide uprising in the south and push U.S. forces
from Vietnam. U.S. troops beat back the assault and
hundreds of the communist fighters are killed. From
remote jungle crossroads to the streets of Saigon,
average Americans, under attack, display incredible
courage and make sacrifices to save their buddies. The
impact will be felt in the consciousness of the
American public itself. We use unique visual graphics
and interviews with survivors to complete the story.
10-11pm -- Dogfights - 07 - The Zero Killer
It's 1943 and the skies over the Pacific are filled
with the infamous Japanese Zero fighter. They are
decimating all American aircraft; no allied plane can
match Japan's deadliest fighter plane. The American
Navy rushes to deploy a new fighter to take on the
unstoppable Zero...the F6F Hellcat. The Zero has met
its match. Now, you're in the cockpit with legendary
dogfighters Robert Duncan, Hamilton McWhorter and Alex
Vraciu, whose epic dogfights blazed a new chapter in
the annals of aerial warfare. We recreate famous
battles using state of the art computer graphics.
Viewers will feel like they're in the battle, facing
the enemy. Rare archival footage, first-hand accounts
and original shooting will supplement the remarkable
computer graphics.
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Saturday, December 9, 2006
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Engineering Disasters 20
In March of 2005, the BP Refinery in Texas City, Texas,
suffered a series of explosions that decimated
a large portion of the facility and killed 15 workers.
Discover how a series of mechanical malfunctions and a
disregard for safety led to one of the worst
industrial accidents in the United States. Then we'll
document the unusual series of events that caused
American Airlines flight 587 to fall from the sky.
What happened in Times Beach, Missouri, when a local
waste hauler oiled down dusty roads with oil that was
laced with dioxin? Next we'll look at what went wrong
with NASA's Skylab in 1974 and finally we'll examine
the fire that destroyed the gas company, Praxair, in
June of 2005. Interviews with survivors help complete
the picture.
8-10pm -- Race to the South Pole - Part 2.
While Roald Amundsen and his team relied exclusively
on sled dogs, Robert F. Scott believed that his quest
would be "more nobly won," if his men did it with
their own pulling power. Relying on man-hauling to
pull sledges loaded with weeks of supplies, food, and
gear drained Scott's men and may have contributed to
their failure. The Norwegians, after over one month on
the ice, have become a model of efficiency, while the
British struggle to pull sledges weighing upwards of
800 pounds each through deep, wet snow. The team
leader, Bruce Parry, must send two men home to mimic
Scott's final party to the Pole. Finally, the
Norwegian team races home, but the British will be
lucky to finish at all, especially as the horrors of
man-hauling, malnutrition, and physical pain, plague
their team. One of the modern British team members
even begins to suffer injuries much like one of his
historical counterparts.
10-12am -- Alaska: Big America -
Alaska--a land of extremes. Its size is
staggering--nearly 600,000 square miles, or more than
twice the size of Texas. Its vast distances, extreme
weather, imposing landscape--all helped shape its
history and the lives of those who come under its
spell. Our 2-hour special heads to far-flung corners
of the 49th State to hear compelling stories of life
in the bush--from Russian expeditions in the 1700s to
building of the Alcan Highway to the WWII Battle for
the Aleutian Islands and 1959 statehood.
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Sunday, December 10, 2006
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Ice Road Truckers.
During the harsh winter of Canada's Northwest
Territory, remote villages and work camps are cut off
from the world. To keep them supplied, a tenacious
group of long-haul truckers drive their rigs over
hundreds of miles on ice roads cut across the surface
of frozen lakes. Sometimes the ice cannot support the
heavy rig, and driver and cargo plunge through the ice
and sink to the bottom. Hitch a risky ride along with
the Ice Road Truckers as they drive headlong into
bone-chilling danger.
8-10pm -- Alaska: Dangerous Territory -
For generations, Alaska has exerted a powerful pull as
the place to head for a job like no other; work that
promises the adventure of a lifetime, the chance to
strike it rich, and the very real prospect of never
making it back alive. Plying their trades on America's
last frontier, soldiers, Coast Guard crewmen, bush
pilots, and truckers all work for the same boss from
hell: a dangerous territory full of the most
inhospitable weather and extreme terrain on earth.
Even today, Alaska boasts four of the country's top 10
most dangerous jobs. We'll feature dramatic stories of
four killer jobs from the last 150 years of Alaskan
history and experience what it takes to survive and
thrive in this intense and harsh climate by riding
along with today's workers and hearing from old-timers
who forged the way. And we'll weave in the traditions,
technology, and tools that can mean the difference
between life and death in Alaska's killer jobs.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Snow
It is the bane of every suburban parent and the joy to
every school kid. Born in a swirling storm cloud
through a process called nucleation, the
characteristics of snow flakes are threatened by
pollution trapped in the clouds. We'll travel two
miles into the sky, where scientists study the inner
workings of clouds while perched high on a mountaintop
at the Storm Peak Laboratory. Then we'll head to the
finest ski resorts in Colorado to discover how they
manage the snow on their slopes and how snowmaking
really works. These resorts also reside in one of the
most avalanche-prone regions of the world. Despite
best efforts of experts, avalanches still occur.
Discover the new technology that gives rescuers a
critical assist to quickly find skiers buried alive
when the beauty of snow quickly turns to terror. We'll
also go to Buffalo, New York the "Blizzard Capital of
America" to watch how a TV Weatherman forecasts
blizzards and warns his viewers to prepare for the
onslaught.
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Monday, December 11, 2006
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - More Snackfood Tech.
They crunch; they ooze; they crackle; they pop--mmmmm,
yeah! Soft drinks, donuts, meat snacks, popcorn, and
gum. What's your weakness? From the handmade treats of
the earliest civilizations to hi-tech mass production,
these snacks are borne of man's need to feed his
cravings. Join us for an hour-long tasty treat as we
examine the history of snackfoods and check out how
they are made today.
8-9pm -- UFO Files - New UFO Revelations: China's
Roswell.
Legends from China tell of 716 mysterious stone discs,
known as "The Dropa Stones". Some believe the stones
hold secrets about ancient contact with
extraterrestrials. Discovered in a cave in 1938, each
12" disc contains a double spiral of tiny hieroglyphs
that are said to contain the historical record of an
alien race called the Dropa that crash-landed in an
isolated region of China 12,000 years ago. The story
of the Dropa Stones is an amazing tale filled with
mystery, deceit, and conspiracy, and today, skeptics
and true believers wage an ongoing battle over what
they are, what they mean, and if they even exist at
all. Regardless, the Dropa Stones continue to consume
the imaginations of scientists, journalists,
historians, UFO buffs, and stargazers in general.
9-10pm -- Engineering an Empire - China.
For over 4000 years, the world's greatest empires have
come and gone--only China has survived the test of
time. Century after century, China's regal emperors
mobilized immense peasant armies to accomplish
engineering feats unparalleled in human history. Among
the groundbreaking innovations were the world's
longest canal and a naval fleet mightier than all
those of Europe combined. However, none can compare to
the colossal 4,000-mile wall that stands as the most
ambitious construction project ever built. From such
heights came spectacular death spirals, as dynasty
after dynasty, consumed by vanity and greed was
stripped of power by the people it had ruled. Peter
Weller hosts.
10-11pm -- Lost Worlds - The First Christians.
A team of field investigators using the latest
research, expert analysis, and cutting-edge graphic
technology take us back to the aftermath of Jesus's
crucifixion when barely a hundred of his followers
survived. Yet within a few decades, Christianity had
spread around the Mediterranean and across the Roman
Empire. The man responsible once persecuted Christians
but underwent a conversion and gave his life to
spreading the gospel. We revisit places that were
first to hear St. Paul's message and were altered
forever. From his birthplace, the port of Tarsus where
a mixture of Roman and Jewish culture helped form him,
we follow the systems of trade and transport that
helped him travel 20,000 miles. And in Cappadocia in
the Turkish desert, we find evidence of how the new
religion reached a mysterious community of
cave-dwellers. These persecuted Christian communities
sought refuge by literally heading underground. Our
investigators enter the vast subterranean cities they
built.
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Tuesday, December 12, 2006
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Doomsday Tech 1.
Doomsday threats range from very real (nuclear
arsenals) to controversial (global warming) to
futuristic (nanotechnology, cyborgs, and robots).
Despite the Cold War's end, we live under the shadow
of nuclear weapons, arms races, and accidental
launches. Next, we stir up a hotter topic--the
connection between global warming and fossil
fuels--and ask if they're cooking up a sudden, new Ice
Age. And we examine 21st-century technologies that
typify the dual-edged sword of Doomsday Tech with
massive potential for both creation and
destruction--nanotechnology (engineering on a tiny
scale), robotics, and cybernetics. We witness amazing
applications in the works, wonder at the limitless
promise, and hear warnings of a possible
nano-doomsday, with tiny, out-of-control machines
devouring everything around them.
8-10pm -- The Russian Navy -
In the late 1600's, Tsar Peter the Great created a
modern Russian navy virtually from scratch. Traditions
grew through Russian Naval victories over the Swedes
in 1721 and over the Turks in 1788--with the
assistance of America's naval hero, John Paul Jones.
In the 1960's and 70's, the forceful and innovative
leadership of Admiral Sergi Gorshkov created a fleet
that threatened the United States and nearly tipped
the balance of power in the Cold War. Shot on
location, with access to archival footage, we will
explore the history of Russia's extraordinary warships
and submarines, its remarkable leaders, and the tragic
defeats and stunning victories that shaped the Russian
Navy.
10-11pm -- Man, Moment, Machine - The Red Baron & The
Wings of Death.
April 1917: the most feared pilot of World War I is at
the controls of the best fighter plane of the day. A
24-year-old legend at the top of his game, Manfred von
Richthofen is up against a new generation of enemy
aircraft designed to break the supremacy of the German
Albatros, the Sopwith Triplane. It will demand all of
the Red Baron's considerable skill just to survive.
____________________________________________________
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Money
How does America make money--literally? We visit the
United States Mint and the Bureau of Printing and
Engraving to see the secretive government facilities
where our legal tender is generated. With a storied
past as tantalizing as the wealth they create, these
mints can spit out fortunes in an hour and keep our
economy flowing.
8-9pm -- Modern Marvels - Brewing.
It's one of the world's oldest and most beloved
beverages--revered by Pharaohs and brewed by America's
Founding Fathers. Today, brewing the bitter elixir is
a multi-billion-dollar global industry. Join us for an
invigorating look at brewing's history from
prehistoric times to today's cutting-edge craft
breweries, focusing on its gradually evolving
technologies and breakthroughs. We'll find the
earliest known traces of brewing, which sprang up
independently in such far-flung places as ancient
Sumeria, China, and Finland; examine the surprising
importance that beer held in the daily and ceremonial
life of ancient Egypt; and at Delaware's Dogfish Head
Craft Brewery, an adventurous anthropologist and a
cutting-edge brewer show us the beer they've concocted
based on 2,700-year-old DNA found in drinking vessels
from the funerary of the legendary King Midas.
9-10pm -- Modern Marvels - Distilleries.
From water and grain...to mash...still...vat...barrel
and bottle--the distilling of alcoholic spirits is a
big business and near-sacred religion. Its acolytes
eye the color, swirl the glass, inhale the bouquet,
sip, then ponder their ambrosia. What's your pleasure?
Bourbon, Scotch, Rum, Gin, Vodka, or Tequila? We trace
the history of distilling from the one-man/one-still
tradition to the Voldstead Act of 1920 that devastated
American distilleries to the mega-sales and
high-volume distillery of today.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Tea
After water, tea is the second most popular drink in
the world. It has been around as a drink for 5000
years, and 6 billion pounds of tea are harvested
annually. We begin with a trip to the Lipton's plant
in Suffolk, VA., where state of the art machines crank
out 24 million teabags a day, and then its off to the
only tea plantation in the US, the 127 acre Charleston
Plantation in South Carolina. We'll follow the flow of
tea from England to the Colonies, where a tea tax
precipitated the Boston Tea Party, and chronicle the
brief but glorious age of the Clipper Ships, speed
craft that brought tea from China to London in less
than 100 days. Big news in the 20th century for the
tea trade includes the emergence of herbal, powdered,
iced and decaf teas. Tour the Celestial Seasonings
plant in Boulder Colorado, and then visit a boutique
tea garden where expensive teas sell for upwards of
$30 a pot. Is it true that the best Darjeelings can
bring in hundreds of dollars an ounce?
____________________________________________________
Thursday, December 14, 2006
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Gangster Guns.
During the 1920s and '30s in big cities and small
towns alike, they earned a fierce reputation in a
blaze of bullets. They were the best friends of
criminals such as John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd,
Baby Face Nelson, Al Capone, and Bonnie and Clyde.
Handle their Colt 45s and 38s, Tommy guns, Whippets,
and Browning automatic rifles as we uncover the
stories of gangster guns.
8-9pm -- Engineering an Empire - Britain: Blood and
Steel
At its pinnacle, the British Empire spanned every
continent and covered one quarter of the Earth's land
mass. Through the centuries, the rulers of this
enormous powerhouse used extraordinary engineering
feats to become an industrial and military titan,
loaded with riches. Some of their many pioneering
accomplishments include the world's first locomotive,
a superhighway of underground sewers, the imposing and
grand Westminster Palace, and the most powerful and
technically advanced navy in the age of sail. Using
cutting edge CGI, we'll take a look at the key leaders
of the British Empire--and explore the mark each left
on society. Peter Weller hosts.
9-10pm -- Decoding The Past - Secrets of Kabbalah
The study of Kabbalah has become a multimillion-dollar
celebrity endorsed empire, however historians and
religious scholars argue that the Kabbalah of
Hollywood's elite is a pale imitation of the
centuries-old mystical practice. The true Kabbalah is
a great and complex philosophy rooted in thousands of
years of history. Travel back in time to understand
the true roots of Jewish mysticism. Followers believe
that by studying Kabbalah, one has the potential to
understand God, the soul, the structure of the
universe, the afterlife, and even the meaning of human
existence. We'll trace the roots of Kabbalah, learn
what it means to master Kabbalah and finally, we'll
attempt to explain the ancient, complex code that
believers say demonstrates Kabbalah's long-hidden
connection to the Bible.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - High Tech Sex.
Join us for a walk on the wild side of the history of
sexual enhancement and contraception--from Cleopatra's
box of buzzing bees to 17th-century condoms to
Internet sex and 21st-century holographic pornography!
In an explicit exploration of the aphrodisiacs, drugs,
contraceptives, toys, and cyber-tech innovations that
have ushered in a brave new world of modern sexuality,
we talk to sexologists and historians for ribald romp
behind the bedroom's closed doors.
____________________________________________________
Friday, December 15, 2006
____________________________________________________
7:30-8pm -- Mail Call.
At ease, Private! R. Lee Ermey is your commanding
officer in this weekly series that answers viewers'
questions about military methods and technology with
practical demonstrations by military experts. Viewers
go on the frontlines, to foreign lands, and into basic
training as Lee demonstrates the hows and whys behind
weaponry, military hardware, vehicles, and jargon.
It's a glimpse of military life and history that
civilians rarely see.
8-9pm -- The Lost Evidence - 20 - Stalingrad
On August 23rd 1942, 330,000 men of the German 6th
Army smashed through Soviet defenses outside the city
of Stalingrad. For 162 terrible days the Soviet
defenders of Stalingrad make the Germans pay in blood
with savage hand to hand combat in a maze of ruined
factories, shops and apartment blocks. Outnumbered and
outgunned the Red Army suffer appalling losses, but by
clinging to their positions they draw the Germans into
a trap from which there will be no escape. For the
first time, extraordinary aerial reconnaissance
photographs actually taken during the course of the
battle are combined with the latest in computer
technology to create a 3D model of the city. With
archive film, dramatic re-enactments and powerful eye
witness testimony, we tell the incredible story of the
epic battle that turned the entire course of WWII.
9-10pm -- Shootout - The Big Red One
The First Infantry Division, a.k.a. Big Red One, is
the oldest and best division in the U.S. Army. These
warriors fought more campaigns than any other U.S.
division in World War Two. Elements of the division
experienced action during the War of 1812, the Mexican
War, and the Civil War and fired the first American
shots in World War I. Decorated veterans of World War
II will take the viewer back to the tense battlefields
of El Guettar, North Africa, Troina, Sicily, Normandy
(Omaha beach) France and their final shootout at the
Falkenau concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.
10-11pm -- Dogfights - 06 - The Last Gunfighter
Skilled fighter pilots Paul Speer and Phil Wood,
tackles the fierce North Vietnamese MiG over the
killing skies of Vietnam. They fly the U.S. Navy's top
fighter, the F8 Crusader. In one of the longest,
gut-wrenching dogfights on record, Lt. Commander
Richard Schaffert--out of missiles and with his guns
jammed--takes on a lethal MiG-17 and the best enemy
pilot he's ever faced. His only chance lies with the
amazing capabilities of the F8 Crusader, "the last
gunfighter." Using state of the art computer graphics,
viewers will feel like they're in the battle, facing
the enemy.
____________________________________________________
Saturday, December 16, 2006
____________________________________________________
6:30-8pm -- Vietnam: Homecoming -
In June 2005, over 250,000 Vietnam veterans gathered
in Branson, Missouri for "Operation Homecoming", a
reunion 35 years in the making. It is believed to have
been the largest reunion ever for Vietnam veterans.
For many, it was their last visible opportunity to
mend the invisible wounds of the war. Many veterans
had complex and mixed feelings about attending the
reunion. We talk with three of these veteran families
in search of answers. It is a journey that brings them
face to face with each other, the past that has been
lost, and a future that is unknown.
8-9pm -- The Private Voice of Hitler -
Everyone knows the public archive footage of Hitler.
But most of it is silent. What was he saying? What did
he sound like when he was having a conversation rather
than shouting his beliefs to his followers? Special
computer technology enables us for the first time to
lip-read the silent film. Using a unique sound
recording of Hitler never previously broadcast, we
can, put his words into his mouth. The result will add
texture and depth to our understanding of a man about
whom millions of words have been written--but whom we
have never heard just talking. Footage includes film
shot by Eva Braun, sequences filmed by Nazi cameramen,
and a secret sound recording made in 1942 by radio
engineer Thor Damen.
9-11:30pm -- Reel To Real - U-571
(movie) World War II submarine thriller about a group
of American sailors who try to pull off a daring
scheme to steal Enigma, the Germans' top-secret coding
device--a scheme that has only a small chance of
succeeding and a big chance of getting them killed.
Stars Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel,
and David Keith. (2000)
____________________________________________________
Sunday, December 17, 2006
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Beyond The Da Vinci Code - Part 2.
In this 2,000-year journey through time, we examine
the histories and mysteries of the Holy Grail
lore--both from the perspective of the believers and
from skeptics, letting the viewers reach their own
conclusions.
8-10pm -- The Passion: Religion and the Movies -
Cinema's relationship with religion has always been
explosive. The Church had an iron grip on how the
bible was interpreted until the film industry came
along. Filmmakers soon began to test the limits of
acceptability when it comes to interpreting the
stories central to Christianity with films like Monty
Python's Life of Brian and The Last Temptation of
Christ. These films coincided with the rise of the
religious right in America and their sustained protest
killed the religious movie for over a decade. It was
only with Mel Gibson's success with The Passion of the
Christ that suddenly Hollywood realized there was a
huge potential audience. Interviews with some of the
key players at the heart of the controversy such as
Mel Gibson, Martin Scorsese, Willem Dafoe, and Terry
Gilliam help reveal the truth behind who really
controls the imagery of the bible.
10-11pm -- Behind The Da Vinci Code -
Before Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code, there was
Holy Blood, Holy Grail, written by Michael Baigent,
Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, that is known for
its revelation of the possibility of a sacred
bloodline continued by Jesus and Mary Magdalene. It
was their research on which Brown based much of his
novel. Now, 30-some years since they wrote their last
follow-ups, Henry Lincoln continues to investigate the
source of the story. In this special, the man who
launched the whole story breaks his silence, allowing
viewers to unlock his secrets and addressing critics
who say the whole thing is a hoax. We also explore the
connection to the Knights Templar.
______________________________________________________
Monday, December 18
8pm UFO Files: UFOs in the Bible. TVPG
9pm Engineering An Empire: Napoleon: Steel Monster
10pm Lost Worlds: Jesus' Jerusalem.
Tuesday, December 19
8pm Hooked: Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way:LSD, Ecstasy and the Raves. TVPG
9pm Hooked: Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way:Cocaine.
10pm Hooked: Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way:Opium, Morphine, and Heroin.
Wednesday, December 20
8pm Modern Marvels: Bible Tech. TVPG
9pm Modern Marvels: Christmas Tech
10pm Modern Marvels: Walt Disney World.
Thursday, December 21
8pm Special: Sodom and Gemorrah : TVPG
9pm Decoding The Past: The Spear of Christ
10pm Modern Marvels: Candy.
Friday, December 22
8pm Dogfights #9 - Hell Over Hanoi TVPG
9pm Shootout: Afghanistan's Deadliest Snipers
10pm Dogfights #3 - MiG Alley
Saturday, December 23
8pm
9pm
10pm Vampires Secrets TVPG V-S
Sunday, December 24
8pm Biblical Disasters: Biblical Disasters (2 hour docu) TVPG
10pm Bible Battles: Bible Battles.
Monday, December 25
8pm UFO Files:Area 51: Beyond Top Secret TVPG
9pm Engineering An Empire: The Byzantines
10pm Modern Marvels: Snackfood Tech
Tuesday, December 26
8pm Last Days on Earth (2 hour docu) TVPG
10pm Siberian Apocalypse TVPG
Wednesday, December 27
8pm Countdown to Armageddon (2 hour docu) TVPG V
10pm Decoding The Past: Mayan Doomsday Prophecy
Thursday, December 28
8pm Meteors: Fire in the Sky (2 hour docu) TVPG
10pm Comets: Prophets of Doom :Comets: Prophets of Doom. TVPG
Friday, December 29
8pm Hell, The Devil's Domain (2 hour docu) TVPG V
10pm Dogfights #8 - Death of the Japanese Navy
11pm The Antichrist: Part 1
Saturday, December 30
8pm Nostradamus: 500 Years Later (2 hour docu) TVPG
10pm Last Days on Earth

Sorry, no complete listings received for 2nd half of month yet
3000 names from September 11, 2001
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Wild West Tech hosted by David Carradine, some episodes narrated by Keith Carradine:

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From the invention of the electric battery in 1800 to the murdered remains of missing Washington intern Chandra Levy being discovered in a Washington D.C. park*, find out what happened when with our exclusive History of the World Timeline!
GO TO: HistoryChannel.com/worldtimeline

* Congressman Gary Condit (D), who reportedly told police he'd had an affair with Levy, is no longer considered to be a suspect in the case. Condit lost his bid for re-election in the Democratic Primary of 2002.